Shimano Road Shoe Sizing
 

Hi all, I'm looking at a new pair of road shoes and I don't have many options in my size to try on given the state of many retail options at the moment. I have found some RC7 shoes online at a shop where I can return them without issue but I'm unsure of what size to order. I typically wear about a size 12 in North American sized athletic shoes (Nike, Adidas etc) so based on the Shimano size chart I think I would be looking at about a size EU 47 or 48. Any feedback on how their shoes fit relative to the size chart they publish?

47 or 48 seems huge to me. I currently wear 45 in Giro shoes (but they are definitely too small, my feet are killing me after a ride).

Any feedback or experience would be welcome.

I've found Shimano shoes to run small. I normally wear a 48 in many other brands but I need to try to find a 49 in a Shimano shoe in order for it to fit.

I wear a 13 in most regular shoes and Shimano road shoes in 49 fit me fine. I have used Shimano mtb shoes size 48.

I wear a US14 in "normal" shoes, and EU48 for Giro, Shimano, Diadora, and Bontrager. If you're a US12, your feet will be swimming in an EU48 from Shimano.

I take size 12 and 47 or 46.5 fit me well. 46.5 is ideal for me.

Dang, I guess I have small feet. Shimano tends to run normal for me. I wear 10-10.5, and 45's in about everything I've tried on.

I'd like to go 44, but my left foot is just too big.

I wear a size 13 shoe and have a pair of Shimanos in size 48. They fit just fine for me.

I am a 12 1/2 in real world shoes. I recently bought a pair of Shimano SPD shoes in 47, which is what worked for my last shoes (Lake SPD-SL) but they were a bit too tight on the Shimano shoes.

Returned them for 48, which seem a bit longer than need be but are better. If you really are a 12 IRL, 47 should work.

I am a 11 1/2 and just bought Shimano RC7 in 46.5 and they are perfect.

The rapha size comparison guide may be helpful.. it does put Shimano as requiring +1/2 size more than most others.

https://www.rapha.cc/us/en_US/storie...mparison-guide

I've found Shimano shoes run pretty standard for me. I wear a 44 in Shimano and most other brands. In my experience, Giros run really small.

Are you looking at the S-PHYREs on sale over at Competitive Cyclist?

I wear 42 normally in regular shoes but bought 43 for the RC7. They fit great.

Thanks for the input guys. I have accepted I might need to order a couple pairs and return the ones that don't fit as well, I just wanted to get close with the sizes I order. It sounds like 47 should be close...

No. I am in Canada so my options are VERY limited unfortunately. Those shoes look great but with shipping + exchange + taxes + border fees etc they will cost me $500+ which is what they retail for here... and I don't want to spend that much money if I don't have too...

If anyone knows of any good places to order from that are Canadian I would love to hear from you!

Question for you guys givent that the RC7s are the shoes I'm looking at. How much padding is in the tongue area or top of the shoe? Reason I ask is I have a bone growth/deposit on the top (dorsal) part of my right foot and it can get irritated in some shoes. I usually put a foam ring pad on to take some pressure off the spot but generally find more success and comfort from shoes that are well padded in this area.

The two-bolt version is the XC7, it is virtually identical save for the outsole (and blissfully being black instead of white,) and I happen to have a brand new pair of 48s right here.

The footbed is somewhere about 11 5/8" long, from the deepest part of the shoe to the longest part of the toebox. My bare foot is 11 1/4" long, so this is a good fit for me.
The tongue thickness is... thin. About the thickness of the PU leather, with a wafer-thin layer of perforated foam that starts about 1/2" from the top.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d7f05fab90.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8508e08756.jpg

My RC 7 are just a thin layer of leather for the tongue. I was reading the RC 9 is integrated so that may be a better shoe for you

I wear a size 12 shoe in "American, 13 in my work boots. I have purchased 3 pairs of rc7 Shimano shoes this season. One is last years model with only one boa closer, The other 2 are the new ones with 2 boa closers. All 3 pairs are size 48. They fit me like slippers. So comfortable!.

Same here (size 14 US). I tried a size 50 and they were MASSIVE.

No two pair shoes are alike, even if they are the same size. You can try on two or three pairs of the same kind of shoes in the same size, and they will likely fit a little bit differently. Shoes are one of those things which I cannot buy on the internet, I have to try them out before I buy them.

If it can help, I wear 10.5 to 11 in my shoes and I use size 45 shimano road shoes. It's aligned with the company's sizing chart.

To all who are quoting what their 'normal' shoe size is in US.. I think it's important that you clarify what type of shoe that normal US shoe size applies to. Speaking for myself as an example, I wear size 13s in sandals, boots/timberlands, and pretty much any US dress shoe brand. OTOH I wear 14s in running shoes (Asics/Nikes), skate style shoes (Nikes), or most other sneakers (Stan Smiths, etc). I think it's typical that athletic shoes run smaller than non-athletic types of shoes.

fwiw.. I'm a 49 in Giros and Sidis, and nearest neighbor Mavics which are oddball 48-2/3 size. I have a pair of some Shimano sz50 MTB shoes and they're a bit too large but not bad if I have thicker sock on.

How a shoe fits you has a lot to do with the shape of your foot and not just the size. This is one of the main reasons that you wear different sizes for different brands or even different shoes of the same brand. Shoes are made to a "last" that defines the shape as well as size. Depending on your foot shape, you may need a size larger or smaller for a given shoe or it may not be comfortable no matter what size you get.

This is why buying shoes online is kind of a crapshoot. It may work or may not. Buy from someplace that has a good return policy and hope for the best.

Had the RC7s for a couple months - on paper they were nice and look great but I just couldn’t get on with them despite trying. Not very breathable and edge of tongue dug into my lower ankle a bit. Also needed to unhook the BOA to put them on each time. Sizing wise Giros(laced models) 44 is a perfect fit for me but in RC7 a 43.5 was way too small and 44 was just a touch big.

I had to size up my size up. Bike shoes sizes are all over the board, so measure, buy three sizes, and wear then at home while watching TV.
I had been using 45 in the XC61, then XC9. Found my little toe would be cramped on some days, despite having room. Got a RX8 45 and 45 wide and wore them (BTW, the wide wasn't all that wider) while working from home. Same thing - even with the insoles out. Got a 46, which was too long, but the fit was on another level otherwise. I think a lot of it is the curve of shoe and where it puts the arch (fwd/back) and where the curve of the toe starts.